Modular laboratory cabinets

ABSTRACT

An assemblage of modular units are adapted to be positioned along a wall. Each of the modular units has piping at predetermined locations within the enclosure defined by the unit. The ends of the units are open and the piping extends approximately to the end of the unit where it can be coupled to the corresponding piping of another unit. Different units have different fixtures thereon as, for example, one unit has a faucet connected to the hot and cold water pipes, while another unit has gas outlets connected to the respective gas pipes, etc.

United States Patent [191 Dykstra [451 Oct. 16, 1973 MODULAR LABORATORY CABINETS [75] Inventor: Donald P. Dykstra, Des Plaines, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Portable-Laboratories, Inc.,

Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Sept. 9, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 179,070

[52] US. Cl 4/192, 4/191, 4/DIG. 7,

52/35, 248/68 R [51] Int. Cl E03c 1/04, E030 l/328, E03c 1/33 [58] Field of Search 248/68 R, 52/34,

52/35; 4/191, 2, 211, 4, 5,170,192,195, 235, DIG. 7; 312/111 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 449,535 4/1968 Switzerland 52/34 985,933 3/1951 France 4/2 197,640 8/1965 Sweden.... 4/2 1,450,928 7/1966 France 4/191 Primary Examiner-l-larvey C. l-Iornsby Assistant Examiner-Stuart S. Levy Attorney-Howard H. Darbo [57] ABSTRACT An assemblage of modular units are adapted to be positioned along a wall. Each of the modular units has piping at predetermined locations within the enclosure defined by the unit. The ends of the units are open and the piping extends approximately to the end of the unit where it can be coupled to the corresponding piping of another unit. Different units have different fixtures thereon as, for example, one unit hasla faucet connected to the hot and cold water pipes, while another unit has gas outlets connected to the respective gas pipes, etc.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 16, 1973 3,765.036

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 75 J v I 86 H6 5 FIG. 4

as Hr/ /v VEN r0 R: DONALD ADDY/(S r/m mm, M V ZMQW Afforneys MODULAR LABORATORY CABINETS BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Tailor-made building construction is very expensive and becoming more and more so every year. One instance in which this is very noticeable is in the formation of laboratory facilities in, for example, a hospital. The various hospitals will have different requirements for different laboratories. It is impractical to standardize these and, in effect, each one is different even though they each include the same general types of installation, e.g. desks, sinks, etc. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of modular units that can be assembled in innumerable configurations to meet the various requirements of particular installations. The modular units are intended to be mounted on the floor at a wall and provide a piping cabinet which, in effect, is prepiped. That is, each unit has piping at a given location within the enclosure, which piping is of the length of the unit and is adapted to be readily coupled to the corresponding piping of adjacent units. Floor cabinets of laboratory design can be positioned in front of the modular units to provide the required desk and storage facilities. Since the modular units are constructed in quantity at a factory, they can be produced at a lesser cost'than if the piping were to be formed in situ. Because they are prepiped they can be constructed before the building is finished with relatively rapid installation after the room is otherwise finished, thus effecting a time saving. Also, if the functions of a particular laboratory require changing, the modular units can be uncoupled, rearranged, changed, etc., to meet the new requirements.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF SFECIFIC EMBODIMENT The following disclosure is offered for public dissemination .in return-for the grant of a patent. Althoughit is detailed toensure adequacyand aid understanding,

this is notintended to prejudice that purp ose'of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improve-' ner unit, generally 10, a cup sink unit, generally 11, a gas outlet unit, generally 12, and a sink supply unit, generally 13. In setting up a laboratory room there also will be used various base cabinets of a relatively conventional design such as, for example, storage cabinet 14, sink cabinet 15, and a desk top cabinet 16 suspended therebetween.

The various units 11-13 are of basically a common configuration. For example, referring to the sink supply unit 13 there is a metal shell which forms a back 19, a bottom 20 and a front baseboard area 21. Within this is a metal framework formed of vertical back channels 22, front channels 23, a bottom connecting strap 24, and a top connecting strap 25. Mounted on this framework is a top 26. The metal framework also defines a bottom 'sliding door track 27 and a top, sliding door track 28. It will be noted that the vertical depth of the top track is greater than that of the bottom track. This is to permit the insertion and removal of a door panel 29.

A waste pipe 32 is secured to the back channels 22 by means of straps 33. A hot water pipe 34, a cold water pipe 35, an air pipe 36, and a gas pipe 37 are all secured to the front channels 23 by means of straps 38. All of the pipes 32, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are of substantially the same length as the unit, e.g. as top 26 and back 19. f

At the top of the unit 13 is a hot and cold water supply fixture 40. It is piped to the hot and cold water pipes 34 and 35. A stub connection 41 is provided on the waste line 32. By the use of a coupling 42 connection may be made to the waste line 43 ofa sink 44 of cabinet The bottom has adjustable leveling feet 46. In the front baseboard area 21 are slots 47 to receive studs 48 of a baseboard 49. The studs 48 are threaded and are held in place by nuts 50. By reason of'the slots 47 the baseboards 49 can be adjusted vertically to close the space between the floor 51 and the bottom of the meta shell 19, 20, 21. I

Similarly, the cup sink unit 11 comprises a metal shell consisting ofa back 53, bottom 54 and partial front 55.

Front 55 has slots 56 to receive bolts 48. There is an interrial metal framecomprising back channels 57, front channels 58 and bottom straps 59. There are also a corresponding pair of top straps,not shown, The top 60 has a cut sink 6l. mounted therein. The fixture 62 'com-' prising a cold water faucet andspout-is secured to the top. A cold water connection 63 extends from the cold water pipe 64 to the fixture 62. A waste line 65 extends from cup sink 61 to the waste pipe 66. In this unit there are no connections to the hot water pipe 67-or either of the gas pipes 68, 69. Again, all ofthese pipes are of substantially the same length as the length of the unit.

In the gas outletunit 12 there is a metal back 72, base The corner unit 10 is comparatively short between its p ends. However, the front to back dimensions and the a vertical dimensions are the same as the other units. It is to receive 'the incoming pipes -94. The various supply pipes 90-93 are each provided with a shut-off valve 95. The unit has a removable front 96 and a top 97.

Depending upon the requirements of a particular laboratory, various of the prepiped units would be selected. The selected units would be set up along the wall 100 in the desired sequence. Couplings 101 and 102 would then be installed between the respective pipes at the adjacent ends of the abutting units. In the illustrated embodiments the pipe is copper tubing and the couplings are sweat soldered thereon. Threaded pipe in the units and threaded unions between units could alternatively be used. In either instance the couplings can be disconnected should it be necessary to make a rearrangement of the facilities in a room at a later date. In the case of soldered units, as illustrated, the uncoupling is accomplished by using heat to break the soldered joint. Since all of the units have an open front, it is a relatively simple matter for a craftsman to install the couplings after the units have been set up in the desired sequence and leveled.

If cabinets such as 14 and 15 are installed in front of the units, doors 29 can be dispensed with in these areas. However, where there is an exposed front as, for example, under desk 16, one of the doors 29 is slipped into place to finish off the front of the unit. This is done by sliding the top of the door into upper track 28 and raising the door until the bottom of it clears the top of track 27 and then allowing the door to drop down into track 27. The door will be sufficiently high so that the top portion of it is within the lower portion of track 28 when the door is resting in track 27. A reverse movement can be used to remove the door from the track.

It will be noted particularly from FIG. 3 that the tops, e.g. 26, extend outwardly from the front of the unit and are at a greater elevation than the tops of the cabinets, e.g., 15. After the cabinets have been positioned in front of the units a filler strip 103 of the required dimension is used to finish out the space.

I claim:

1. An assemblage of a plurality of modular units for use in a laboratory room or the like having a floor and a wall, said assemblage comprising:

each of said units having means adapted to support the unit on the floor, a back adapted to be positioned against said wall, a top extending horizontally from said back a given distance above the floor and a front between said means and said top and including a baseboard portion, said front defining a downwardly facing door track immediately below said top'and an upwardly facing door track at the top of said baseboard, said top track having a greater vertical dimension than said bottom track, a sliding door panel adapted to be positioned vertically with its top in the top track and its bottom in the bottom track and being of a height to be removable by raising it within the top track until its bottom clears the bottom track, said means, back, top and front defining an enclosure, said enclosure being open on the ends, a given number of horizontal pipes positioned in the enclosure of each of said units and extending substantially from end to end of the respective unit, one of said pipes being a waste pipe and the remainder being fluid supply pipes, each of said pipes having a predetermined orientation within said enclosure, coupling means for joining the adjacent ends of respective pipes of abutting units, said coupling means being removable after having been used to join the pipes such to permit removal of said units, and fixture means mounted on the tops of said units and communicating with said pipes, said fixture means being different on the different units, whereby using a selection of said units a pipe housing may be assembled along a wall which housing has the fixture means desired for a given installation, and, if desired, the fixture means in a particular installation may be changed by changing the units in the housing.

2. An assemblage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pipes comprise a hot water pipe, a cold water pipe and two gas pipes.

3. An assemblage for use with a plurality of base cabinets of a given height, said assemblage being as set forth in claim 1, wherein said top being of a height greater than said given height and extending beyond said front whereby when said cabinets are placed in front of said assemblage said top will overhang the cabinets.

4. An assemblage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said baseboard portion of said front is vertically adjustable with respect to the remainder of the front, said supporting means of each unit including adjustable leveling feet. Y

5. An assemblage asset forth in claim 1 including a corresponding modular unit without fixturemeansv adapted to be positioned in a corner of the room to receive the incoming piping, the pipes in said corner unit having shut-off valves.

. v UNITED STATES PATENT ()VFFICE' CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,765,036 Dated October 16, 1973 v Inventor(s) Donald P. Dykstra It is certified that error appears in the aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

"Attorney-Howard H. Darbo" should read Attorney-Darbo,

Robertson & Vandenburgh. 1

Column 2, line 60, "not" should read no-.

sighed and sealed this 5th day of March 197 (SEAL) Attest: I

EDWARD M.FLETCHER JR. Y c, MARSHALL DANN Att'estil'lg e Commissioner of Patents.

USCOMM-DC GO376-P69 FORM PO-105O (10-69) v I u.s. sovsnunzm rnnmuc orrlc: nu o-aii-au. I 

1. An assemblage of a plurality of modular units for use in a laboratory room or the like having a floor and a wall, said assemblage comprising: each of said units having means adapted to support the unit on the floor, a back adapted to be positioned against said wall, a top extending horizontally from said back a given distance above the floor and a front between said means and said top and including a baseboard portion, said front defining a downwardly facing door track immediately below said top and an upwardly facing door track at the top of said baseboard, said top track having a greater vertical dimension than said bottom track, a sliding door panel adapted to be positioned vertically with its top in the top track and its bottom in the bottom track and being of a height to be removable by raising it within the top track until its bottom clears the bottom track, said means, back, top and front defining an enclosure, said enclosure being open on the ends, a given number of horizontal pipes positioned in the enclosure of each of said units and extending substantially from end to end of the respective unit, one of said pipes being a waste pipe and the remainder being fluid supply pipes, each of said pipes having a predetermined orientation within said enclosure, coupling means for joining the adjacent ends of respective pipes of abutting units, said coupling means being removable after having been used to join the pipes such to permit removal of said units, and fixture means mounted on the tops of said units and communicating with said pipes, said fixture means being different on the different units, whereby using a selection of said units a pipe housing may be assembled along a wall which housing has the fixture means desired for a given installation, and, if desired, the fixture means in a particular installation may be changed by changiNg the units in the housing.
 2. An assemblage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pipes comprise a hot water pipe, a cold water pipe and two gas pipes.
 3. An assemblage for use with a plurality of base cabinets of a given height, said assemblage being as set forth in claim 1, wherein said top being of a height greater than said given height and extending beyond said front whereby when said cabinets are placed in front of said assemblage said top will overhang the cabinets.
 4. An assemblage as set forth in claim 1, wherein said baseboard portion of said front is vertically adjustable with respect to the remainder of the front, said supporting means of each unit including adjustable leveling feet.
 5. An assemblage as set forth in claim 1 including a corresponding modular unit without fixture means adapted to be positioned in a corner of the room to receive the incoming piping, the pipes in said corner unit having shut-off valves. 